100 Greatest Phillies: 94 – Granny Hamner

Playing 16 seasons with the Phillies, Hamner is one of the more decorated names in Phillie history, but alas, he wasn’t really a great player most of the time. He became a full-time player in 1948, and broke out in 1950 with 11 HR and 82 RBI. He locked up a couple more nice seasons until 1955, when he broke down toward an early retirement. With some power, Hamner hit over 100 homers in his Phillies career, but only hit above .280 once in a full season. Traded by the Phillies for Humberto Gonzalez in 1959, Hamner soon retired, before dying in Philadelphia in 1993.

Comment: It seems like low placement for Hamner, but I finally decided on this spot because he just never stood out as a good player (though he received plenty of MVP votes). At best, he was mediocre, both at the plate and on the field. He deserves praise, however, for being a leader in the early 1950s.